For the Love of a Ninja
by XxBlackDawnxX
Summary: The turtles are now in their 20s, and life's the same as always. But after foiling a dangerous Purple Dragon plot, the guys meet Adriane, one tough, hot, and smart chick. Guess who falls for her!
1. Chapter 1 The Purple Dragons

**Chapter One**

"Oh come on!" Adriane yelled as she flew down the steps into the subway station to find the train speeding away. "Dammit to hell!"

Adriane stood by the ledge of the platform and looked at her watch. It was 11 o'clock, which ment the next train would show up in 20 minutes. Adriane groaned and ran her hand through her hair. The beautiful young woman was so caught up in frustration that she almost didn't notice what was going on behind her.

Whispering. Adriane could hear a lot of whispering. And from turning around the slightest bit to see who was responsible for it, Adriane could tell it wasn't good.

Behind Adriane stood a gang of delinquents commonly known as the Purple Dragons, NYC's toughest gang. These guys obviously had a Don't-Mess-With-Us look slapped across their faces as they saw Adriane standing nearby. She quickly wheeled back around to face the train tracks, hoping the punks hadn't seen her looking at them.

Adriane knew she had to get as far away from them as she possibly could, but something inside her told her to stay put. She realized that the voice inside her head was telling her to find out what was going on. From her position a few feet away, Adriane could hear most of the Purple Dragon punks' conversation.

" Hun said. . .meet at the warehouse at the docks. . .to pick up some. . ." one punk whispered.

"What time?" another asked.

"Midnight, dumbass. What'd ya think? We'd just hand out. . .in fuckin' broad daylight?"

"Shit, I think somebody just settin' us up. . . so we can get locked up."

"Shut up and stop talkin' out your ass, Tony. I got this intel straight from Hun. You really think _he's_ gonna set us up?"

"And its not like. . .All the other. . .are gonna be there."

". . .Are you sure?"

"Piss off."

Adriane had heard enough. Obviously, something big was going down at one of the dock's warehouses, the usual playground for Purple Dragon punks like these. But what? From what she had heard, Adriane figured they were handing out some type of weapons of something.

Go Figure. They're gang bangers.

Minutes later the train pulled up and Adriane and the Purple Dragons got on. The car was empty, so Adriane thankfully sat on the opposite side of the train AWAY from the gang bangers. She knew that if maybe she got some information about what the Purple Dragons were up to, she could hand them over the police and get some kind of reward of something. And being Adriane, her number one priority was NOT to loose her apartment, which required some money.

When the train pulled up to the next stop, Adriane calmly got off and boarded another empty car. She stayed low and well hidden, hoping the Purple Dragon punks in the next car wouldn't know she was tailing them. The train screeched to a stop at the dock platform and the P.D. (Purple Dragon) punks got off. Adriane waited until they were a good deal away from the station to follow, staying in the shadows of course. Looking ahead, Adriane could see several other P.D. gangs heading toward the same warehouse, one that had probably been there for more than thirty years.

_Why do they always pick the old ones?_ Ariane thought to herself.

Adriane could feel her heart pounding as she slipped into the warehouse close behind the gang bangers. Hiding behind a pile of crates, she let out a sigh of relief as the doors to the warehouse were pulled closed and locked. The chatter echoing throughout the warehouse came quickly to an end as a man stepped into the center of the room. _A huge man._

Huge not as in fat, but huge as in tons of muscle. The guy's arms were as big around as tree trunks, as were his legs and torso. He woreblack pants, shoes, and a sleeveless shirt that showed the Purple Dragon tatoo on his right bicep. His head was about the size of a phone book, with cold black eyes and thin lips, and his long blond hair was braided and fell over his right shoulder.

This guy was obviously Hun, the supreme leader of the Purple Dragons.

"My brothers, thank you for coming tonight." Hun boomed so everyone in the room could hear. "Let me just say that you won't regret attending this meeting. Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I've called you all here tonight for a business proposition. This propositon is simply: in return for your services to the Purple Dragon brotherhood, you will be rewarded. . ." Something in Hun's eyes flashed. "_Greatly_."

Adriane shivered. This was getting weird.

Hun snapped his gigantic fingers and two P.D. punks pried the lid off a crate and handed him what was inside. Everyone gasped.

In Hun's hands was a huge gun the side of a bar stool. But this gun was different. Instead of a barrel where a bullet would come out were two metal prongs about the same length. The rest of the gun seemed normal, with its smooth shining steel handed and trigger and all, except for its enormous size.

"A demonstration, my brothers." Hun said and aimed at a helpless Purple Dragon punk. Pulling the trigger, the two prongs at the front of the gun came together, sparking a blue light. The prongs separated and a bolt of blue lightning was released, zapping the punk and throwing him into the warehouse wall. The warehouse exploded with cheering at Hun held up a hand to silence the crowd.

"As promised, lifetime service is needed to gain possesion of this magnificent weapon. If you would all form an orderly line, each of you will have one within the hour." Hun snapped his fingers again and many of the helper punks began picking up crates and taking them to Hun. Other P.D.s formed a line before their leader, excited to get their hands on a weapon.

Only then did the thought hit Adriane. The wall of crates she was hiding behind contained weapons, and if enough were taken away, she would be exposed to the hundreds of dangerous criminals filling the warehouse.

"Shit," she hissed under her breath and desperatly searched for a new hinding place. Luckily, Adriane spotted an open crate and dove into it, taking cover. But soon enough, she felt herself being lifted and carried over to Hun.

TO BE CONTINUED. . .


	2. Chapter 2 A Near Death Experience

**Chapter Two**

"Oh no," Adriane hissed pressing her hands to the top panel of the crate. "Oh no, oh no,"

Now she had done it. This was it. Adriane realized that now were her last moments of life. She could see it in her mind now; Hun's punks prying off the crate's lid, seeing her underneath it. Adriane could see Hun smiling viciously and snapping his fingers, and her getting shot at with the blue lightning gun—thing.

"Damn," Adriane whispered shutting her eyes tightly as she saw the crow bars being wedged underneath the top of the crate. "I never even got married…"

But suddenly, all Adriane heard was a big band, as if the doors to the warehouse had been kicked open.

"Bad news, Hun." said a heroic voice. "It's all over."

"_Yes!_" Adriane almost screamed. "_Cops!_"

"Bro," another voice chimed in. "You have to admit, that was a bad line."

_Funny, _Adriane thought,_ That really doesn't sound like a cop._

"Now's not a good time for criticism, Mikey." said yet another voice.

_Jeez, how many cops are there?_ Adriane pondered.

"Should we waste 'em, boss?" a Purple Dragon punk asked excitedly.

"No," Hun replied. "Let this be known, green freaks, this is not the last you will see the Purple Dragons…"

_Green freaks?_

Adriane heard a bang, followed by several shouts.

"Whoa!"

"What the shell?"

"That's impossible!"

"Where'd they go?"

Adriane huffed. These obviously weren't very good cops if they let their enemies get away.

"Hey," Adriane heard. "What're in all these crates?"

"No time for that, Mikey. Let's get home."

Adriane heart nearly stopped. _Don't leave!_

"Hey!" Adriane shouted, pounding on the lid of the crate. "Hey, let me out! Please someone get me out of here!"

She choked for a moment, not knowing what was going on, but then the answer became clear.

There wasn't enough air in the crate. She was going to suffocate.

"HELP!" Adriane screamed. "PLEASE HELP! I CAN'T BREATHE!"

"Where are you?" came a concerned reply.

"Here, in the crate." Adriane choked. "Please…hurry."

Adriane felt the thump of hands closing on the crate.

"It's gonna be okay!" a rough voice shouted. "We're gonna get cha outta here!"

The lid of the crate creaked as someone yanked the top off, exposing Adriane in a bright blinding light. She was passing out, and she could only see the shadow of four heads.

"Damn," said the rough voice. "She's pretty."

Then everything went dark.

Reviews are very much welcome!


	3. Chapter 3 Four Turtles and One Rat

**Chapter Three**

_Tap, tap, tap._

"Five more minutes…" Adriane moaned, barely awake.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Adriane raised a hand and brushed her nose. Even in her sleep, she could tell someone was poking her.

_TAP, TAP, TAP._

This time, the poking had become harder, and much more persistent.

Adriane opened her eyes and sat up straight.

"What the hell!" she yelled angrily, wanting to know who had been poking her.

Adriane's heart almost stopped when she saw who—rather—what had been trying to wake her up.

A giant smiling turtle with an orange bandana tied around his eyes stood next to the couch she had been laid across.

"Hi!" the turtle said excitedly.

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Adriane shrieked, scooting to the corner of the couch, away from the turtle.

"JEEZ!" the turtle screamed back, obviously frightened.

"Mikey!" yelled an angry voice from the doorway. There stood another turtle, wearing knee and elbow pads just as the first wore. This turtle wore a purple bandana across his eyes, instead of orange. "You weren't supposed to wake her!" The purple banded turtle came closing and looked her over. "…At least not yet…"

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," Adriane gasped covering her mouth with her hands in fear. "Either I'm dead or those Purple Dragons drugged me—and I seriously doubt that I'm dead."

Adriane smiled.

"Yeah, that's it! The Purple Dragons drugged me, so I'm obviously dreaming!"

The purple banded turtle's eyes widened and he leaned in toward her.

"Wait, did you say _Purple Dragons_?"

Adriane yelped.

"GET AWAY!!! You may be a dream, but you still _seem_ real!"

And with that said, she wound up and punched the turtle in the nose.

He recoiled sharply, his three fingered hands covering the injury.

"Ow…" He moaned.

"Hey!" said a voice from the doorway.

Walking into the room were two other turtles, one wearing a blue bandana and the other wearing a red one, with their weapons drawn. And when Adriane meant weapons, she meant two swords (held by the blue banded turtle) and two sais (held by the red banded turtle).

"What's going on here?!" the blue banded turtle shouted.

Adriane was petrified.

But the turtles weren't what scared Adriane so much.

Inbetween the two turtles was an old and gray rat, wearing a brown tunic and using a cane to support himself.

"Oh my freakin' God…" Adriane gasped. "There's more of them… And there's a—a—a—_rat._"

There was a loud clunk and Adriane dropped back onto the couch, out cold.

"Aw man!" the orange banded turtle groaned. "She passed out again!"

Reviews please? I'm in the mood for a review!


	4. Chapter 4 Origins

**Chapter Four**

Some time after Adriane accepts that the Turtles are real…

"…Sorry for scaring you Adriane," Mikey sighed from his spot on the couch next to the dark haired girl.

"It's ok…uh…Mikey." Adriane replied with a smile after almost forgetting Michelangelo's name. "After all, it's not everyday that you wake up in the sewer with a bunch of talking turtles and a tunic wearing rat around you."

They all laughed.

"Oh, and, uh, Donny? Sorry for punching you, but you really scared the shit out of me."

"I guess I'll have to work on that." Donatello chuckled.

Leonardo stood up from his position on the other side of Adriane.

"Well, uh, Adriane, if you're feeling well enough, we could probably take you home now."

Adriane made a face.

"I have to go already? I mean, I just met you guys. And what about those Purple Dragons? What if they come after me?"

"Leo, Adriane's got a point." Raphael said. "Those punks'll probably come after her for finding out about all their weapons." Raph looked at Adriane and smiled, making her blush. After knowing him for only an hour, Adriane had grown to liking the red banded turtle.

"Yeah, but that's only if they got a good long look at her, Raph." Donny said. "How else would the Purple Dragons know who she is and where she lives? They'd need some sort of identification to link to an apartment and a name. And I don't think they even knew Adriane was there in that warehouse."

"You're right, Donny." Adriane agreed. "Now that I think of it, the Purple Dragons didn't even know I was alive, let alone watching them from inside a crate." She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. "But I still have this weird feeling telling me that something's not right and that they knew I was there."

"Well then it's settled," Raph said standing up from the chair he had been sitting on in a backwards position. "I say we spend the night at Adriane's place and make sure those assholes don't come lookin' for trouble. 'Cause when people come lookin' for trouble, they usually find us."

"Raph, you're in the presence of a lady! No bad language!" Donny scolded. "And you can't just invite yourself over to someone's house like that!"

"And why are you so persistent about _spending the night_ at Adriane's place?" Mikey asked with a smirk, raising the spots on his forehead where eyebrows should have been.

Raph's face turned as red as his bandana.

"I…I wasn't...I didn't mean…_go to hell, Mikey_." Raph yelled and stormed off. "If anybody needs me, ya know where I am!"

Mikey snickered but immediately stopped after receiving a sharp look from Leonardo.

Adriane's face burned with embarrassment.

"Sorry about that Adriane," Leo said. "How about instead of going back home, you stay here for the night until things are safe."

"Really? You mean it? I can stay?" Adriane asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" Mikey agreed. "I can show you how to kick ass at video games, too!"

Don frowned.

"Thanks guys," Adriane said. "I really appreciate it." Her smile faded and she looked up the staircase in which Raph had disappeared up. "But if its not too much trouble, I'd like to see if Raph's okay."

Leo and Don exchanged nervous glances, and Mikey began whistling while twiddling his thumbs.

"What?" Adriane laughed.

"Nothing really," said Leo. "Its just that nobody's ever bothered Raph while he's--,"

"_Sulking," _Don finished.

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "Sulking."

"Well, why not?" Adriane asked.

"Just cause he'll slice your head off with a frickin' sai if you bother him!" Mikey cried waving his arms wildly in exaggeration.

"Mikey's kinda got a point." Donny said. "What we're trying to say, Adriane, is that Raph doesn't like being bothered when he's upset…_and_ that nobody's _ever _messed with him for that reason."

"That's bull," Adriane said standing up. "You guys shouldn't do that. He'll just get used to it and really hurt somebody without meaning to the day that rule changes."

Adriane walked over to the staircase and, after stepping up to the first step, turned to the three turtles.

"I'm gonna go talk to him."

And with that, she started up the stairs.

"I'll go get your room ready." Leo said and left the room.

"You mean her grave!" Mikey called after them both and shrank back into the couch cushions after receiving a scowl from Donatello.

**XxBlackDawnxX**: Reviews please? Does anybody have good review?

**Michelangelo**: Yeah! Reviews please? I'm pretty bored too!


	5. Chapter 5 Just Plain Awkward

**Chapter Five**

"Raph?" Adriane asked as she slowly slid open the Japanese style door. "Are you in here?"

The room was very dark, but there was enough light to see the figure of Raphael as he hit and kicked a punching bag repeatedly.

Adriane slipped into the room and slid the door all the way open, letting some light in.

Raph turned around, obviously startled. "Adriane—uh, whassup? Dya need somethin'?"

"Well, yeah, I needed to see if you were okay."

Raph turned back to his punching bag.

"I'm fine,"

"No, you're not." Adriane said quietly.

Raph didn't respond.

"Raph, please don't be mad at me."

Raph wheeled around.

"Me? Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you? Ya not da one who said tha' shit anyway; it was Mike."

"So you're _not _mad at me?"

"Nah," Raphael replied. "But I _am_ pissed at Mike."

Adriane giggled.

"I'm glad to hear that. I really wouldn't want you to be mad at me"

Raph's eyes widened a little and he glanced nervously around the room. Adriane could see he was blushing.

"Uh, okay. Great." Raph choked, a little embarrassed.

They smiled at each other awkwardly and glanced at the ground.

"Uh,"

"Um,"

"So…"

The two had no idea what to say to one another.

"So… Did I mention that I'm spending the night here?" Adriane asked finally breaking the silence.

"You-you are?" Raph echoed.

"Yeah! Leo said that I could spend the night if I didn't think it was safe to go back to my apartment yet."

Raph snorted and mumbled something under his breath. From what she heard, Adriane could've sworn he said "Leo."

"What?" Adriane laughed.

"Nothin'," Raph replied and faked a smile.

The truth was, he figured Leo would ask Adriane to spend the night at their home. He'd seen the way his oldest brother had looked at Adriane ever since she arrived at the sewer; with that longing look in his eyes…

"…I-I'm just glad that ya stayin' for da night. But ya do know that Mike's gonna frickin bombard ya with video games, right?"

"Yeah," Adriane laughed. "He already mentioned that."

Adriane sighed and before she knew what she was doing, went up and hugged Raph. His body became stiff and rigid out of confusion and she could feel his face burning with embarrassment.

"Thanks for everything, Raph." she whispered. Adriane could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she couldn't explain why. May be it was just the fact that it had been a long time since she'd felt the warm embrace of a friend.

Raphael relaxed his body and slowly—and awkwardly—hugged her back.

"Adriane?" came a familiar voice from the doorway.

_Oh shit…_ Adriane and Raph thought in unison.

The quickly broke apart to see Leonardo standing in the doorway holding a pillow and a folded quilt blanket.

"Uh…am I interrupting something?" Leo asked, his face as red as a tomato.

"No!" Raph and Adriane shouted together. They glanced at each other and smiled sheepishly before looking back at Leonardo.

"Well, Adriane, I was just coming to tell you that your room's ready. I changed the bed sheets for you and everything."

"Oh! Thanks, Leo. Uh…Raph, I-,"

"G' night, Adriane." Raph replied with a shrug and a smile and sat down on the edge of his bed.

Adriane's shoulders slouched out of disappointment.

"Good night, Raphael." She answered with a sad grin and slid past Leo and out of the room.

Leonardo watched as Adriane disappeared down the hallway before turning back into Raph's room.

"Don't get cute, Raphael. And I mean it." Leo warned dangerously and followed Adriane to the guest room.

"Piss off, Leo." Raph muttered under his breath.

_*****Reviews Please!!! People how about some reviews???!!!*****_


	6. Chapter 6 She Has to Go

**Chapter Six**

Adriane woke to a familiar face standing beside the bed.

The room was very dark, but Adriane could still make out who it was.

"Raph?" she asked groggily. She rubbed her eyes in hoping to get a better look and ended up yawning.

"Hey, kiddo." said a rough voice with a distinct Boston accent.

Yup, it _was_ Raph.

"What's going on?" Adriane asked sitting up. "And what time is it?"

"Its 'bout ten pm eastern time 'n Masta Splinta says its time for ya ta hit da road." Raph said kneeling down next to her bed.

"Ten pm? Really? How long have I been out for?" Adriane asked rubbing her eyes again.

"Accordin' ta Don, 'bout twenty-four houwas." Raph replied.

That woke Adriane up.

"TWENTY-FOUR HOURS? Oh my God I am so sorry! I shouldn't have taken advantage of you guys like that!" Adriane shouted and leapt out of the bed.

"Nah, don' worry 'bout it. Ya had a long day. We can't blame ya fa dat."

Adriane moaned and ran her hands through her hair before remembering what else Raph had said.

"Wait, Master Splinter wants me to leave now?"

"Uh, yeah," Raph said sounding a little disappointed. "He said dat we shud take ya home while it's still late so nobody sees us. I mean, a couple 'a turtles walkin' 'round in broad daylight wud turn 'a couple 'a heads." He laughed.

Adriane giggled.

"Yeah," she said in agreement. "So, I should probably pack up, right?"

"I guess; not dat ya really had anything wit' ya when we saved ya butt."

"True," Adriane said in agreement. She sighed. "I just, I'm really gonna miss you guys."

"Trust me, we're really gonna miss ya, too. I jus' hope dis ain't gonna be da las' time I--I mean--_we _see ya."

"Raph, that's so sweet; thanks." Adriane giggled again.

The two stood in an awkward silence for a while before Adriane spoke up.

"So, I guess I should go now, huh?"

"Probably, but my bros and I are defiantly walkin' ya home. We don't want any more incidents where ya almost get killed." Raph replied. He walked her out of the room and down a flight of stairs to the living room where the other turtles—along with Master Splinter—stood waiting.

"Well look who it is," Mikey announced loudly. "Sleeping Beauty finally out of her coma, accompanied by Prince Charming himself!"

The three turtles laughed, causing Adriane to blush and Raph to scowl.

"Hey guys," Adriane said softly with a smile.

"Good to finally see you awake, Adriane!" Don said putting a hand on her shoulder. "You really had me worried when you didn't wake up yesterday!"

"I guess almost suffocating to death really put a strain on my body."

"I'll say!" Donnie exclaimed, his arms flailing wildly.

"We're _all _glad you're alive, Adriane." Leo said with a tiny smile.

Adriane _had_ to blush. That look just made her melt.

"_I'm _just glad that we can finally get back to our video game!" Mikey shouted and grabbed her arm, starting to pull her over to the couch.

"Michelangelo!" Master Splinter said abruptly. Mike stopped dead and released his death grip on Adriane. "You _know_ that is not the reason we have woken our friend at this hour."

"Its true, Mike," Leo said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "The only reason we woke Adriane up so late is so we can take her home."

"Aw man," Mikey moaned. "But does she have to go _now_? Can't it wait 'till tomorrow? I mean, she _just_ woke up!"

"Sorry, Mikey," Adriane said. "But Master Splinter's right. I _should_ go." She punched him in the shoulder playfully. "Hey, look on the bright side. Its not like I'm never gonna see you guys again, right?"

Master Splinter sighed, making Adriane hold her breath.

"Right, Master Splinter?" she said softly.

The old rat scratched his chin.

"I would not be so sure, Adriane. I do not mean to sound unhappy of your presence here, but to keep our family safe and discrete, I have decided not to permit you to visit us from now on."

Adriane felt like crying. Before she could say anything, Raph practically exploded.

"WHAT?"

Five of them nearly jumped out of their skins at Raph's outburst.

"Ya kiddin' me, right, Masta Splinta? Ya gotta be fuckin' shittin' me!" Raph continued on.

"Raph, calm down," Don squeaked, obviously afraid Raph was going to hurt him for speaking.

"No you calm down, Donnie! What the fuck Masta Splinta! Why can't Adriane come 'n visit us anymore?"

"Because the safety of our family is more important, Raphael." Splinter replied calmly.

Raph growled, looking like he was about to beat the shit out of the rat when Adriane touched his arm. Immediately, his body relaxed and he let out a deep breath. After squeezing his eyes shut for a moment in effort to calm himself, he looked Adriane in the eyes.

"Raph, its okay; I'll be alright on my own." She said gently.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Raph whispered and started off down the sewer tunnel, away from the rest of them.


	7. Chapter 7 Shell Cell

**Chapter Seven**

"Raph!" Adriane cried out after him, her voice echoing down the tunnel.

"Let him go," Leo said firmly. He just needs time to blow off some steam. In the meantime, we should probably get you home." 

"I know, Leo." Adriane replied. "But I didn't get to say goodbye to him."

"Knowing Raph, he'll probably turn up on the way or when we actually get to your apartment." Don stated rubbing her back gently. His touch gave her a tingling feeling that shot up her spine like electricity.

"Well, if you say so…" Adriane mumbled, still not convinced.

"Alright then," Leo said cracking his knuckles. "Let's hit the road."

What was with Leo and taking her home? Did he want her to leave _too_?

"You mean the sewer pipe!" Make yelled goofily and, after grabbing his skateboard, rolled down the tunnel in the direction Raph had left.

"Wait!" Don cried. "Before we go, I'd like you to have this."

Donnie grabbed something off the coffee table and handed it to her, a proud smile on his face.

"What is it?" Adriane asked, turning the device over in her hands.

"It's a cell phone, a Shell Cell as we call it." Don replied. "If you ever need to call us, just use this."

Adriane spent a few more minutes looking over the phone before stuffing it into her pocket. 

"Will do," she said with a smile before she and Donnie started down the pipe a ways behind Leo, who had been chasing after Mikey.


	8. Chapter 8 At Her Apartment

**Chapter Eight**

After about twenty minutes of traveling the sewer tunnels, Adriane, Leo, Don, and Mikey had arrived at the corner in front of Adriane's apartment building. Climbing out of the manhole, the guys took note of the area.

"The East side?" Don asked.

"Why would you find a place on the East side, Adriane?" Leo asked sounding concerned. "Some of the toughest gangs live out this way."

"I know," Adriane replied as she used her key to open the building's front door. "It was the only place I could find that was in my price range."

Leo's face reddened, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh, Adriane I'm really sorry…I didn't know you were short on cash…"

"Don't worry about it," Adriane replied. She and the guys entered the building and started up the stairwell. "I might be outta this hell hole pretty soon anyway; my boss is thinking about giving me a promotion."

"Not to sound nosy or anything, Adriane," Don started. "But what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a singing waitress at a jazz club," Adriane replied proudly.

"Really!" Leo exclaimed, obviously interested. "What's it like?"

"It's actually really fun. I get to meet people and make friends with the other waiters and waitresses. _And_ I get tons of complements after each of my performances." Adriane explained as the reached the landing of the second floor.

"So, you like it?" Don asked.

"Yeah, definitely. I enjoy it and doing it has really boosted my self esteem by a lot. Guys, get this: after one of my performances, there was this guy who approached me after the show. He said he was owned a record company and he asked me if I'd want to sign with him and become a pro!"

"No way!" Mikey shouted and received several _shhh_'s from Leo and Don. "Did you take the job?"

"No," Adriane answered. "I told him I was too young to sign for a record company and that I'd be more comfortable if I waited for another two years or so."

"But why?" Don asked. "Why would you give up a chance like that? You could've been a star!"

"Yeah, and why would you say you were too young? You look like you're only eighteen!" Leo said.

Adriane blushed at his comment.

"Thanks, Leo." Adriane said quietly. "But I _was_ too young. I was only seventeen."

"Seventeen? Well then how old are you now?" Mike asked.

"Mikey!" Don hissed and smacked him on the back of his head.

"I'm twenty-one." Adriane replied with a laugh.

"Really?"

"I find that hard to believe!"

"You're joking. Seriously, tell me you're joking."

"What?" Adriane laughed. "How old are you guys?"

"Well, if my count's correct, we _should_ be about twenty-two years old." Don said.

"Except for Mikey," Leo added with a snicker. "_He's_ still only twenty-one."

"But my birthday's coming up soon!" Mikey protested.

"_Shhh!_" Don and Leo hissed.

At that moment, one of the doors on Adriane's floor opened and out stepped an elderly woman with curlers in her hair wearing a fuzzy bathrobe and slippers.

"Is someone there?" she said. She squinted her eyes in Adriane's direction and her face lit up like a light bulb. "Adriane?"

"Hi Mrs. Potts," Adriane said coming forward and hugging the woman.

"Oh, Adriane! You frightened me when you didn't come home last night!" Mrs. Potts cried.

"Yeah, I, uh, I met some…_people_." Adriane said letting go of the older woman.

"_People_?" she asked staring off past Adriane, her pale blue eyes shining. "You mean _men_. Was it a man, Adriane?" Mrs. Potts asked, a smile forming on her aged face.

Adriane laughed.

"Yeah, it was four men… sort of."

"Well, I don't mean to sound pushy dear, but promise me this: will you promise old Mrs. Potts to look before you leap? I don't want my Adriane to get hurt at the hands of a man, or whatever it is you're talking about."

Adriane smiled.

"Okay, I promise; I'll look before I leap."

"Good, now be careful on your way to your room. I heard a lot of noise coming from the stairwell not long ago. Just might be another one of the hooligans breaking into somebody's room again." Mrs. Potts said and blindly walked back into her room, closing and locking the door behind her.

The moment the door closed, three loud thumps came from behind Adriane, and she wheeled around out of pure fear.

Donnie, Leo, and Mikey were standing behind her in crouched positions, as if they had just fallen from somewhere and landed on their feet.

"Dammit, guys don't scare me like that!" Adriane gasped clutching her chest. "Where did you go?"

"The ceiling," Mike replied coolly.

"We couldn't risk being seen." Leo replied as they walked to Adriane's room.

"You didn't have to worry about being seen." Adriane replied. "Mrs. Potts is blind. I usually help her out when I come home from work and I guess she got scared when I didn't show up yesterday."

"Oh," Leo replied, feeling stupid.

"But you know…_whatever_."

Adriane stuck her key into the lock in her door, turned it, and flung the door open to a dark room. She stuck her arm in to turn on the lights so the guys could see her apartment.

"Guys, welcome to _mi casa_—!" Adriane started and gasped when the lights came on and she saw what was inside.

The room was filled with a least twenty-five Purple Dragon punks, each armed with crow bars and chains. But the most terrifying sight was who stood in the center of them all.

_Hun._

"Mrs. Adriane Grey," he said evilly. "We've been expecting you."

**XxBlackDawnxX: Ooooo….. I wonder what will happen next…..**

**Raphael: WTF? Don't worry Adriane! I'm comin'!**

**XxBlackDawnxX: Raph? Where the fuck were you?**

**Raphael: Uh…yeah…about that…**

**XxBlackDawnxX: (pats bat and smiles evilly) You've got some explaining to do.**

**Raphael: …Aw shell!**

_*****REVIEWS PLEASE?*****_


	9. Chapter 9 Battles and Mishaps

**Chapter Nine**

"How the hell did they find me?" Adriane shrieked as she stared into the room full of Purple Dragons, her eyes wide with terror.

Leo heroically pushed his way in front of her to protect her from Hun and his gang.

"Hand over the girl and I might just reward you with your lives."

"_Over my dead body,_" Leo snarled, drawing his katanas.

"That can be arranged," Hun replied narrowing his eyes. "Now I'll repeat myself one more time; _hand over the girl._"

"Never," Leo answered firmly. Don and Mike put themselves in front of Adriane as well.

Hun shrugged and turned to the Purple Dragons behind him.

"Dragons, get 'em."

As if expecting the attack, Leo and Mike leapt into action, their weapons in their three fingered hands. Don stayed back in the doorway to protect Adriane as a wave of Dragon punks came after her.

Swatting at them like flies with his Bo Staff, Don managed to get out a free arm and shove Adriane further down into the hallway.

"Get out of here, Adriane! It's too dangerous! Go and find Raph; he'll protect you if any of these punks come after you!"

"No, Don! I'm not leaving you guys!" Adriane shouted back.

"GO!" Donatello screamed and shoved her again, forcing her onto her backside.

Adriane could only stare after her friend as he lunged into her apartment, fending off more gang bangers. Her eyes filled with fear for him and she obediently bolted down the hallway, heading for the stairwell.

Just as she passed it, Mrs. Potts' door flew open and the old woman staggered out blindly.

"Adriane, what's going on?" she cried out, her arms reaching out for the dark haired girl.

"Mrs. Potts! Get back into your room!" Adriane shouted and lead the woman back inside the apartment. Adriane pushed the elderly woman's bed forward off the wall and pulled a chair behind it for her to sit on. "Here, sit down, you can hide here so the won't find you."

"Adriane, I don't understand. Who are you talking about?" Mrs. Potts asked as Adriane sat her down behind the bed's tall headboard.

"The Purple Dragons, Mrs. Potts. They're here, and they're after me."

"Why?"

"It's too long of a story for now. I have to go and find someone. His brothers need him…" She paused for a minute, thinking about the red clad turtle. "…_I_ need him."

Mrs. Potts was quiet for a moment before she responded.

"Look before you leap, dear." She whispered.

Adriane's eyes filled with tears and she hugged the old woman.

"I will, I promise I will. Stay safe, Oh God, please keep you safe." Adriane cried and kissed Mrs. Potts' forehead before sprinting out of her room, down the stairs and out of the building, where she stood in the center of the street and lifted her head toward the sky.

"_**RAPHAEL!**_"

Rain beat down on her face and thunder shook the city. Lightning flashed across the sky like crackling electricity, and Adriane found herself on her knees crying.

"_**I NEED YOU!**_"

A shadowy figure bounded across the rooftops and jumped off the side of a building, slapping down onto the pavement and sending water splashing up around him like a halo.

"Just call my name 'n I'll be here for ya, Adri'." Raph said making his way over to her.

Adriane collapsed into his arms.

"Leo and Mike and Don, they're in trouble, Raph! They need you!" she sobbed.

"Hol' up, wha' da hell happened?" Raph asked hugging her tightly.

"The Purple Dragons," Adriane choked. "They found me! I don't know how, but oh Raph, the guys need you!"

"Got it," Raph said getting to his feet, taking Adriane up with him. He let go of her and pulled out his sais. "Stay here. I'm gonna go 'n help my brothas. Dis is da asskickin' I've been waitin' for all night!" And with that said, Raph raced into the apartment building, leaving Adriane alone in the middle of the street, rain pouring down on her like a waterfall.

She viciously fought to overwhelming feeling to break down and cry and thought over what she had to do.

_I can't let the guys fight those Dragons by themselves…_ Adriane thought and splashed through puddle after puddle toward the sports shop across the street. She stared into the front window, looking for some kind of weapon she could use to defend herself. And then she saw it: a sleek wooden bat resting on a pedestal in the store's window.

Adriane took a breath and raised her leg, kicking through the window and shattering it. Reaching in, Adriane pulled the bat outside into the rain and ran her hand over the sleek wood.

_Well, I guess there's no turning back now…_

Adriane turned and without hesitation, marched into the apartment building and up onto her floor.

…_My life's officially fucked up._

Peering into the room that she once called home, Adriane saw nothing but the motionless bodies of Purple Dragons covering the floor. But she knew they weren't dead—no, the guys would never kill anyone unless they really had to—just knocked out. Donatello and Michelangelo were fighting off the rest of the _awake_ punks while Raphael and Leonardo were held pinned against the wall by the necks by Hun.

Adriane could feel rage boiling up inside her.

"Where's the girl?" Hun demanded.

"You can kiss my ass!" Raph yelled.

"Why do you care?" Leo choked. "What has she done to you?"

"She knows too much about the Purple Dragons to continue living." Hun answered squeezing their necks harder. "Now where is she?"

"Go ta hell!" Raph shouted and spit at him.

Hun frowned.

"Maybe your deaths will force her out of hiding…"

That was it. Adriane slipped into the room and came up behind Hun, the bat raised far above her head.

"Hey Hun!"

The huge man turned his head, mouth open in surprise.

"Lights out!" Adriane shouted and brought the bat down across Hun's face with all her strength. Hun immediately released Raph and Leo as his hands shot up to cover his face. As he fell down to his knees, the entire apartment shook and he screamed out in pain.

"Adriane!" Raph and Leo cried when they could actually breathe.

"Sorry guys, I'm too busy to talk right now." She replied and stepped over Purple Dragon bodies and broken glass to Hun, who was on the ground and cringing in pain. She raised the bat above her head once more, ready for a final blow.

"Weren't you here to kill me, instead of me killing you?" Adriane asked and was in midswing when Hun stood and wrapped his gigantic hand around her neck.

"And now you die, slut." He said and tossed her across the room. She slammed down into the coffee table, shattering the glass and landing in it. Hun stomped over and took her up by the neck once more, smashing her into the broken shards of glass. "You will regret what you've done." He snarled and raised her up, ready to end her life by bringing her down into the glass.

"_**NO!**_" Raph cried and leapt to his feet, sais in hand. He plunged his weapons into Hun's back, and he shrieked in pain, letting go of Adriane. She fell to the floor, her body still and lifeless.

Raph could only pray that she wasn't dead.

"Get off me you mutant freak!" Hun screamed clawing at his back in effort to get Raphael off of him. Raph finally pulled his sais out of the huge man's back and watched as he crashed to the ground, his blood pooling on the tile floor.

The four turtles stood before Hun and his fallen army, wounded and obviously out of breath.

"You will—pay for what—you've done…" Hun choked between sobs of pain. He reached into his pocket and threw down smoke pellets, startling the turtles. Once the smoke cleared, the room was empty, all except for an unconscious Adriane and horrible damage.

"Man, I hate it when he does that!" Mike coughed waving his hand in front of his face in effort to move away the dense smoke.

"Guys…" Don said nervously from across the room. The three brothers turned to find Donatello sitting on the floor with Adriane in his lap.

"She's not breathing…"

_*****See! Told you I'd get the chapter done tonight!*****_

_*****LEAVE SOME REVIEWS!*****_


	10. Chapter 10 Raph's Thank You

**XxBlackDawnxX: HAS NO ONE ANYTHING 2 SAY ABOUT CHAPTER 9? COME ON PEOPLE LEAVE SOME REVIEWS! ;p**

**Chapter Ten**

"WHAT?" Leo, Raph and Mike cried crowding around Don and Adriane.

Don sniffed, as if holding back tears. "She's…she's not breathing…and there's no heartbeat either."

"How the hell did that happen?" Leo shouted kneeling down beside Don. He slowly reached out and touched Adriane's shoulder before pulling his hand back sharply. Raph could have sworn he saw Leo's eyes fill with tears.

"Well don't jus' sit 'dere, Don! Do somethin'!" Raph shouted angrily, also kneeling down.

"Yeah; do the Heimlich maneuver or something like that!" Mike cried clinging to Leo.

Don wiped his eyes.

"I…I can't. There's no use. She's gone…"

"So ya not even gonna try?" Raph yelled.

"Raph, you have to understand that it'd be a waste of time. We should get out of here before the police show up." Don replied quietly.

"Don! I can't believe YOU of all people aren't going to try!" Leo shouted in surprise.

"I won't let 'er die!" Raph cried, tears spilling from his eyes. He pulled Adriane's body into his lap and began pumping her chest in a quick act of CPR.

"Raph, it's too late…" Don whispered.

Raph—completely ignoring him—leaned down and pressed his lips to Adriane's, breathing into her. Afterwards, he pumped her chest fifteen more times before repeating. Not long after beginning, he was sobbing and screaming at Adriane.

"COME ON, DAMMIT, BREATHE!" he shouted almost whacking her chest. "ADRIANE YA CAN'T DO 'DIS TA ME!"

Beside him, Raph's brothers were silent. Leo and Don had tears streaming down their cheeks. Mike was leaning on don, trying not to cry. Without thinking, Leo began shouting.

"COME ON, ADRIANE!" he screamed, now sobbing. "DON'T LEAVE US YET!" Leo turned away and covered his face with his hands.

"ADRIANE, **NOOO!**"

_Flash._

Adriane sat up, leaning on Raph. She was coughing and sputtering and choking and her eyes were wide with fear. She clung to Raph as if never to let go, her nails digging into his skin like claws.

"Adriane!" Raph gasped, crying tears of joy. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

Don looked up and gasped, a smile crossing his face. He vigorously tapped Leo and Mikes' shoulders, beckoning them to look toward their brother.

"Adriane!" Leo cried, now smiling and scooted over to her. Mike and Don did the same and joined Raph, Adriane and Leo in a group hug.

"Hi, guys." Adriane smiled weakly. "Someone saved me, didn't they?"

"Aw shell, Adriane, it was nothin'." Raph blushed scratching the back of his neck.

Adriane leaned on his chest for support and grinned up at him.

"Nothing? Raph you saved my life."

"Well I couldn't jus' let ya die-," Before Raph could even finish, he found himself locked in Adriane's warm embrace, their lips pressed together.

Don, Leo and Mike's jaws dropped, and Don and Mikey exchanged a smile. They were happy for their brother. But Leo was a different story.

He sat on his knees, mouth open and eyes wide, simply staring. How could Adriane _kiss_ Raph? Raph was the most imperfect of the four of them, and Adriane chose him?

_This better not last…_ Leo thought to himself, fighting a snarl.

Adriane and Raph broke apart at last, still staring at each other. Adriane smiled at Raph, who seemed dumbstruck.

"You—you…_why_?" Raph managed to choke out, his eyes still wide in shock.

"I had to find some way to thank you, now didn't I?" Adriane replied.

Raph's face reddened again and he found himself smirking.

"Well!" Leo interrupted with a fake smile as he stood up. "What now?"

"I don't know," Adriane answered. "I'm guessing you four would jump out the window into the night with a simple goodbye and leave me staring after you all, but that would probably be if my apartment was in a better condition."

"Most likely," Don chimed in. "And all of us know that's not the case."

"Where am I gonna go now?" Adriane asked. "My apartment's a war zone, the Purple Dragons know who I am, and to top it all off, they also know where to find me."

"Easy!" Mike cried with a smile. "You pack up and come live with us!"

Raph nodded, Leo scratched his chin, and Don grinned.

"You're serious? I can come and stay with you guys?"

"Of course," Leo replied. "But only until you can get back on your feet."

"Yeah! Relax, babe; right now, we're your safety net. We're gonna do all the work for you!"

"Thanks guys," Adriane said softly. "This means a lot to me."

"No prob', A'." Raph replied helping her to her feet. "Mike's right; we're ya safety net fo' now."

Adriane giggled.

"A', huh? That's a first. Well, if you're gonna call me A', then I can come up with a nickname for you! Hmmm…let's see…how about Raphie?"

Everyone burst out laughing, all except for Raph.

He simply sighed and ran a hand over his bald head.

"I don't like it, but it'll work. Jus' don't start callin' me Raph-a-nator or anythin', k?"

"You got it, _Raphie_." Mike squealed and began laughing hysterically, falling off the couch.

_*****Reviews PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!*****_


	11. Chapter 11 Unplanned Surgery

**XxBlackDawnxX: hi everyone...I AM SO SORRY I HAVN'T BEEN ABLE TO UPLOAD ANY NEW CHAPTERS! I have been really busy and I hope ur not all mad at me... ALSO, I have found the sudden urge to type in 1st person POV, so I hope u enjoy that!**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Adriane's POV**

The next morning, my eyes flashed open to an excruciating pain shooting up my back. I let out a horrified scream and nearly fell off the bed I had slept in. As if I had called them, the four turtles came running into the room, more worried than they'd ever been before for me.

"What the shell's goin' on in here?" Raph yelled.

"Are you ok?" Leo gasped.

"Who died?" Mike whined in horror.

"Adriane!" Don cried. "What's wrong?"

"My back! My back-BURNS!" I screamed, digging my nails into Don's arms, drawing blood.

Instinctively, Don flipped my over and pulled my nightshirt up to show my back.

"What's wrong with her, Donny?" Leo demanded, helping him pin me down as I flailed around on the bed.

"God I'm an idiot! Why didn't I see it before?" Don gasped touching my spine gently.

"Don, spit it out!" shouted Raph protectively.

"A shard of glass!" Don answered loudly. "A shard of glass got stuck in one of her cuts and it might have pierced her spinal cord!"

"Is that why she's in so much pain?" Mike asked.

Don nodded and took another look at my back. "Leo go get a pair of tweezers-"

"NO!" I shrieked clinging to Leo's arm. "Dammit Don just pull it out; it HURTS!"

Don bit his lip. "I should probably wash my hands-"

"DO IT NOW OR SO HELP ME DONATELLO I'LL KICK YOUR GREEN REPTILIAN ASS!"

Mike snorted a laugh.

"Ok, ok...here goes nothing..." Don plunged his fingers into the wound on my back and poked around a little, desperately searching for the shard of glass.

It hurt so bad I screamed and bit my lip until it bled.

"Dammit Donny, hurry up! Ya killin' her!" Raph demanded and held my other arm down as I attempted to punch him.

"GOT IT!" Don cried as he pulled the sliver of glass from my back.

In an instant the pain stopped and tears or relief slid down my cheeks.

"Adriane...Adriane how does that feel...?" Don voice echoed.

I didn't have the chance to answer.

I blacked out and flopped down onto the soft mattress.

*****Yeah, it's a short chapter, but you MUST leave reviews people!*****


	12. Chapter 12 Left Overs

**XxBlackDawnxX: Ok ladies n gents, here it is! chap 12 of the heart pounding series of For the Love of a Ninja! ***God I sound like some overly exaggerated TV spokesperson...*** Anywhooo, hope u all likes it!**

**Chapter 12**

**Adriane's POV (again)**

My eyesight came back to me slowly, giving me the ability to see only blurs of the objects around me.

"Adriane...Adriane...Adriane are you awake?" came a familiar voice.

Don, I thought.

I let out a moan.

Raph sat on the edge on my bed, and touched my arm. I could tell it was him by the blurry red stripe of his bandana on his face.

"Come on back, kid." he said softly. I could see him pull a gentle smile.

"Raph...?" I whispered, squinting.

My eyesight cleared just as I said his name.

"Hey kiddo, how ya feelin'?" Raph asked helping me sit up.

"Ok," I muttered putting my hand onto my forehead.

"How's your back?" Don asked stepping forward.

"It...it doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's good. I gave you some morphine for any lingering pain after you passed out, so you should be good for the next few hours." Don explained.

"Thanks Donnie, I owe you one."

"No, you don't." Leo butted in firmly. "You don't owe us anything, Adriane. You're our guest, and taking care of you is our priority."

"But if you REALLY feel that grateful, a few pepperoni pizzas wouldn't hurt." Mike chimed in with a goofy grin.

I smiled.

"Alright then. As soon as I'm cleaned up and dressed, I'll call and order some pizzas for you guys."

Leo opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it after receiving a gentle elbow in the gut from Don.

"Well then, we'll just leave you to get changed." Don said awkwardly with a smile and shepherded his brothers out of my room, shutting the door behind him. I barely had time to stand up when the door swung open the tiniest bit and Mike peered in.

"Remember, you HAVE to make sure that there are no anchovies on our pizza or-WAH!" Mikey could hardly finish his sentence before a muscular arm reached in and grabbed him by the tails of his bandana, yanking his head out of my room and closing the door completely.

I smiled and let out a sigh.

"Lord, thank you for this Leo you've gifted us with."

I got to my feet and stood before the mirror, peeling off my shirt and turning around slightly so I could see my back.

It was spotted with dirt in some places from the battle yesterday, and even scratched and red a little, but that's not what caught my attention.

A long cut sat in the middle of my back, sewn together with thin black wire. The skin bulged out in some places, no doubt due to the pressure the stitches put on each random piece of the scar tissue that was now forming. I couldn't bear to look at it for too long, so-fearing that I would faint again-I quickly turned completely away from the mirror and reached for my duffle bag.

From it I removed a yellow tube top and a pair of black skinny jeans, along with a clean set of undergarments and socks. I combed out my long dark hair until it was straight and then slipped into my clean bra and underwear. Then, after grabbing the wet washcloth that had been used to clean off the area of the cut on my back; I wiped away as much dirt and dried blood off my body as I could. After applying some lotion and deodorant, I put on my clean pants, socks, and top and headed downstairs.

The four of them were in the kitchen having breakfast when I entered the room. Leo stood at the stove making eggs and bacon, and the others sat at the table. Donny was reading the newspaper, Raph was munching on a bowl of Coco Puffs while reading the back of the box at the same time, and Mikey was-unusually-sitting quietly, twiddling his thumbs.

For the longest time I stood in the doorway, simply watching the happy family, before I cleared my throat nervously and walked to the table.

The four of their reptilian jaws dropped when they saw me.

"Er...um...Adriane!" Don stuttered, his face turning red. "Ready so soon?"

"Yeah...uh...I thought it took girls hours to...um...*gulp*...get-dressed." Mikey gawked.

"Do ya...erm...wanna sit down?" Raph muttered quickly standing up and offering me his chair.

I blushed. "You're such a gentleman, Raph." I teased.

His face went bright red. "Uh, yeah...thanks, Adriane-"

Leo shot over to me and set down a plate piled high with eggs and bacon. "-Here, A', you must be starving! When was the last time you ate, anyway?"

"Thanks, Leo. Let me think...erm...three, maybe four days ago?" I replied before picking up a fork and began shoveling food into my mouth like a savage.

The four of them just watched, mouths open in awe.

I slowly stopped. "What? I'm hungry."

Don seemed to snap back into action. "Nothing! It's just that...erm..."

"You're actually eating Leo's cooking!" Mikey exclaimed.

I looked down at the plate in front of me. "Yeah...? What's' wrong with it?"

"Nothing's wrong with it." Leo said firmly shooting Mikey a look.

I leaned down and sniffed.

"GAH!" I covered my nose with both of my hands. "Leo, what did you put in this stuff? It smells like...like...rotten eggs." I made a face.

"Leonardo, these eggs aren't fresh from the carton, are they?"

Leo gulped. "Well, uh, no. They were left overs from last week that I warmed up in the microwave just now."

I gagged and ran over to the garbage can, sticking my head down into it and throwing up.

"Jesus, Leo! Don't you have enough work as it is saving me every time I almost die? Did you get bored and decided to TRY to kill me this time?" I cried between spitting out mouthfuls of puke.

The three turtles sitting at the table burst out laughing; each of them almost falling out of their seats.

Leo grabbed my plate from the table and quickly scraped everything off of it into the trash can.

"Adriane I'm so sorry. Usually we just order pizza, so I'm really not used to cooking. How was I supposed to know you can't keep leftover eggs for over a week?" He helped me to my feet once I had finished emptying the contents of my stomach into the garbage.

"That's ok, Leo, but from now on, I'M cooking for you guys." I said elbowing him in the chest playfully.

He let out a sheepish laugh and smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ha ha, yeah, that might be good idea."

*****REVIEW RIGHT NOW!*****


	13. Chapter 13 Favor

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Adriane's POV**_**…*You know what, from now on, it's gonna be Adriane's POV unless I tell you otherwise…'Kay? (Watch the next chapter be Raph or Leo's POV….well, that's my luck for you.) ANYWAY…ONWARDS!***_

My head almost ached with _that_ question.

The question I've thought about since I met the guys.

The question I've _dreamed _about every night since I've been staying in their home.

And no, it wasn't for one of them to marry me…

**(Author Note: YES! HA HA! RAPH IS MINE! Erm…sorry…)**

As we all sat at the table, eating _fresh_ food and laughing, my smile slowly faded. I bit my lip, preparing to ask my question. "Uh, guys?"

Raph, still chuckling, looked over at me. "What's up, A'?"

"I…I have a really big favor to ask."

"Shoot,"

"Anything for you, Adriane." Mikey snickered batting his eyes. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

"Yeah, no favor is ever too big." Don chimed in with a grin.

"I…I really, REALLY think that this favor is…an upside for my health…but…I can totally understand if you say no…"

Leo went serious. "What is it, Adriane?"

I frowned and looked at the ceiling. "Do you think you guys could teach me some martial arts?"

The room went silent.

"I mean, just so I can defend myself the next time those Purple Dragons come around."

"Adriane," Leo started. "Why would you want to learn when you have us around to protect you?"

I stared—almost glared—at him for a moment. "Well, you said it yourself, Leo; I'm not gonna be staying here forever. What am I supposed to do three years from now when those damn Purple Dragons are on my tail again?"

"You have your shell cell…" Don suggested.

I frowned. "Okay, worst case scenario: suppose I'm being tailed by a gang of the fricken' Purple Dragons and I _**can't**_ get to my shell cell? What am I supposed to do then?"

"I agree with Ms. Adriane-san," Splinter chimed in quietly as he hobbled into the room, leaning on his cane for support. "It has been decided that she will not be staying with us for long, therefore she should have means of defending herself when she is no longer in close contact with our family."

I turned to the guys, my arms crossed. "And _that's_ why the rat is the wisest of you guys."

"My sons," Master Splinter continued, coming closer to the table. He put his hand on Raphael's shoulder. For some reason, I found myself exchanging an awkward look with Raph until we both turned away, blushing terribly.

"It is now time for the students to become the teachers."

Leo stood abruptly and bowed to the old rat. "Yes, Sensei." He said respectfully.

Raph snorted. "Splinta Joon-ya," _**(he means Splinter Junior, haha, such a heavy accent)**_

I stood also, so excited that I was shaking. "So," I said biting my lip to keep from smiling like an idiot. "What do we start with? Strikes? Blocks? Flips?"

Raph threw his head back and laughed. "Damn girl, you got _**no**_ idea what martial arts is all about!"

"Huh? So we're not starting with any of that stuff?"

"Nope." Don said.

"Nuh-uh." Mike chimed in.

I was puzzled beyond belief. "What are we doing then?"

Mikey laughed and leaned his chair toward me, elbowing me in the side. "Ha, you're not gonna liiiiiiiiike iiiiiiiiiiit!" he sang with a smirk.

"_**What?**_" I pouted like an impatient 4 year old.

Leo took my arm and led me toward the dojo. "_Meditation._"


	14. Chapter 14 Montage and the Final Exam

**Chapter 14**

**I'm SOOOOO sorry its taken this long to add more, but I just wanna say that I plan to wrap up this story ASAP. No, I'm not saying it'll be over soon, there's WAAAY too much more to type for it to be over anytime soon, so don't worry. What I'm saying is that I will TRY MY BEST TO ADD CHAPTERS FASTER! ONWARDS!**

**(like I said, this will be) Adriane's POV**

From then on, I guess you could say everything passed by quickly and in montage style.

My training was long, hard, and backbreaking, but the music playing in my head as the days went on was enough to keep my going through the torture. And when I say torture, I MEAN _TORTURE_. Master Splinter teaching the guys this stuff at such a young age was the equivalent of child abuse…_literally._

For our little training montage I'd call "My Personal 3 Month Hell," I'd ultimately choose the song "Gives You Hell" by the All American Rejects to be playing in the back round. Bear with me, 'cause these next 3 months were fun but HORRIBLE. I hope you enjoy my pain.

**(Author Note: Go on Youtube and search the song "**_**What the Hell" by Avril Lavigne**_** and play it while you read the rest of this chapter. Sorry I couldn't include a link, my internet is down at the moment. Start reading when the lyrics come on. -THNX)**

We open in the dojo, the guys showing me how to meditate. For some reason, I just can't get it right and leave the room several times in frustration. Luckily, Don and Mikey are smart enough to drag me bag into the room and force me down into an uncomfortable sitting position as Leo lectures me about keeping focus. Raph sits in the corner, daydreaming with his head in his hands, his gaze occasionally coming to me, who is wearing work out booty shorts and a training bra because I honestly thought I was going to be active. Now, I'm just cold.

Cut to a week later, where I can successfully sit down and meditate for all of fifteen minutes before becoming hungry or distracted or just plain bored. Leo sighs and gives in, saying that we need to press on. Next, I'm taught flexibility. This involves many hours of stretching and the guys forcing me into VERY uncomfortable positions. I have to practice splits, backbends, touching my toes while sitting AND standing and whole lot of other stuff. Trust me. It's not fun. Plus, I've had to tell Leo and Raph HUNDREDS of times to either stop LOOKING at my ass while I stretch or TOUCHING my ass while helping me into new stretching positions. I mean come on! Why is it always those two?

Cut to 3 weeks later, when I can bend in ways that both amaze AND frighten me. Leo has started showing me basic dodges, which is practically jumping or dropping out of the way while he throws punches and kicks at me. He starts out easy, and within a day, I can successfully dodge all of his punches. After a while, he gets to be pretty predictable. So Leo kicks it up a notch and puts me up against Mikey, who on the first swing kicks me hard in the stomach, knocking me to the ground. Raph then proceeds chasing him around the Lair as he shouts, "WHAT DA HELL MIKEY YA COULDA KILLED HER!"

Cut to a week later, when I can successfully dodge all of the guy's punches and kicks, whether they're not even trying or giving it all they've got. Well, not exactly. Leo and Raph are the only exceptions. Raph can get a few hits on me every now and then, but that's only cause I let him; but Leo…I still need work with that one. Now I'm being taught strikes and blocks. Pretty simple, except for the fact that I go to bed every night with tons of bruises on my arms and legs from taking turtle hits. I mean it's like they're fists are made of steel!

Cut to two weeks later, where I'm pretty good at clipping the guys' chins with my fist or their chests with my foot. I'm actually pretty impressed with how I've come along, but then Leo starts talking about flips. HELL TO THE NO. They pull out a trampoline and get me used to jumping up high and doing front and back flips. After a week, I'm awesome and can pull just about any flip on the little exercise trampoline. Then Don takes away the trampoline and tells me to do a front flip off the couch...I ended up braking my nose; thanks Don! There was blood everywhere after I face planted and Mike and Leo had to scrub my blood off the couch while Raph chased Don around the Lair as I sat at the kitchen table holding a towel to my face saying, "I'm fine guys don't worry about it." Meanwhile the screaming war that went on between Raph and Don went something like this:

Raph: DAMN YA, DON! WHAT DA HELL WHERE YA THINKIN ASSHOLE?

Don: I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SOOOOOORRY!

Raph: Ya NERD get back here!

Don: *crying like a little girl* Ahhhh! Raph STOOOP!

Raph: I'm gonna take ya bow staff and shove it up ya—

Don: NOOOOO!

Cut to two weeks later when I can do front and back flips WITHOUT the little trampoline. I'm so proud that I've come this far! I can go up against any of the guys and win a fight or two, with Leo and Raph being the exceptions. I've mastered meditating, flexibility, blocks and dodges, and flips. Throughout the days I continue to strike better and build my stamina. I've built a lot of muscle; my biceps and legs look awesome and I have a six pack, but not to an extent that I look freakish. I actually look like an underwear model with a faint six pack instead of an arrow straight torso. I can't help feeling great about the way I look, and I can tell the guys can't either. My point was proved when I accidentally walked into the kitchen one morning in my pajamas—mind you I sleep in my boyish underwear and lacey bra. It was unbelievably embarrassing and I didn't even notice until Leo and Raph choked on their milk, Mikey fainted and Don—the most shocking of them all—cried out "DAMN!" Now I have to make sure I'm wearing APPROPROATE CLOTHING before I go to the kitchen for breakfast. *Face palms*

Cut to two weeks later; it's the END of my training! Well, sorta kinda. I still have to keep practicing every morning, but I'm officially done being taught by the guys. It's a kind of YES! but NO! thing. But as we know, the end can mean a lot. The end as in…Sudden Death or Let's See If the Training Paid Off Day. It started that morning, the morning after my training ended.

***Montage Ends***

I was sleeping peacefully and I rolled over onto my side with a slight moan.

Then I heard it. The creaking of my door as it opened slowly. My eyes flashed open and my heart began to pound.

_Oh my God, this is happening. I'm being attacked!_

I listened intently, waiting for sign-any sign-that the creep in my room was going to strike.

I kept my breathing slow and steady, just as Leo had taught me, so the attacker wouldn't know I was awake.

_Shing!_ I heard the slight sound of a weapon, most likely a sword of some sort being unsheathed. I struggled to keep my breathing steady. _Do what Donny taught you!_

_3…2…1…_

"HEEEE-YAAA!" I screamed and leapt out of my bed, planting my foot firmly in the attacker's chest. Strangely, the feeling was familiar as pain shot up my leg. The chest of this creep was smooth…almost like…

I sprinted to the light switch as my attacker fell against the wall, switching on the light that filled the room.

"LEO?" I shrieked. There, lying before my underwear clad body was Leonardo, katanas unsheathed. I ran to help him up, but in a swift move he kicked my leg out from under me and I fell to the floor, my head hitting hard. He pinned me down, raising his katanas for a death blow.

"LEO WHAT THE HELL?—" I rolled out of his grasp and sprang to my feet in a battle position as his katana struck the concrete floor right where my throat had been. He glared at me, fire in his eyes and leapt at me. I dodged and ran out the door, slamming it behind me. I leaned against it, keeping it closed as Leo slammed against it, trying to break free.

"RAPH! HELP! LEO'S GONE BOLISTIC!" I screamed out into the Lair, hoping anyone would hear me. Just as I spoke, Raph came flying down from the ceiling above me, sais out. He gave me an evil smile and slashed at me, but I dove out of the way, tumbling to the ground. The door to my room flew open and Leo sprang out, crashing into Raph and the two tumbled over and off the second floor hallway railing down to the first floor where the front door to the Lair was.

"RAPH!" I shrieked, my heart stopping and I raced down the stairs, the unbuttoned dress shirt I was wearing flying out from behind me like a cape. Had I thrown that on over my bra and underwear in the heat of battle? My head was so confused I couldn't remember. What the HELL was going on?

Down where the two hand landed—the place I expected to see broken and injured turtles—was empty, the Lair silent. I wheeled around madly, trying to figure out where everyone was.

"YAAAAA!" came another battle cry and I ducked just in time to see Don sailing over me, twirling his bow staff. He landing and struck a battle ready pose, whipping his bow staff around.

"Don, not you too!" I gasped and clipped his chin with my fist as he leapt at me. He tumbled backwards and collapsed on the floor motionless. I crept toward him carefully, hoping he was okay when he sprang up and twirled his bow staff high above his head, ready for a blow. I backed up, eyes wide, not sure if what to do and as he struck, I leapt out of the way. His bow staff became wedged between the bookcases I had backed up against and his eyes went wide as he struggled to free his weapon. I leapt at him and kicked him in the face hard, toppling over into the kitchen table. I struggled and finally managed to unwedge his bow staff, twirling it in front of me protectively.

Suddenly pain shot through my back and I flew forward, dropping the bow staff. It clattered to the floor, rolling away from me. I flung myself onto my back to see who my attacker was. Nonetheless, it was Mikey, swinging his nunchuks with skill, but with the same crazy fire in his eyes as the others.

"GUYS WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" I cried, preparing myself to fight. Just as I spoke, the other three leapt out of no where, weapons in hand, ready to attack. My chest heaved with heavy breaths and finally, a yelp escaped my throat and I crumbled to the floor. "I can't do this, guys! I can't hurt you!" I covered my eyes with my hands, ready to die by their hands.

But nothing happened. I waited…and waited…and waited, but nothing happened. No weapon twirling, no death blow, no blood spilt. Nothing.

I uncovered my eyes to see them standing before me, weapons away.

For what seemed like endless moments we stared at one another until suddenly, Mikey blurted out a word I had hardly expected to hear at that moment.

"PATHETIC!"

I just sat on the floor, trying to figure at what had happened.

"Lesson number one," Leo said stepping forward and offering me his hand. "Never give up in the middle of a battle, no matter how hopeless the outcome seems."

I cautiously took his hand and stood up, nervously approaching the guys.

"What…? What WAS that about?"

"Adriane, haven't you ever heard of, FINAL TEST?" Don said sarcastically.

"Adriane, ya don't gotta be scared of us, we were just testin' ya." Raph reassured. I saw the concern and worry in his eyes.

My eyes glanced at each of the guys, resting on Leo, who stood the closest to me. "You know, I expected better from you, Adriane. Clearly you have not had enough training if you were ever going to be out in the world on your own again. How would you have gotten away from the Purple Dragons if you just broke down and gave up like that?" he scolded.

I clenched my teeth together and without thinking, hauled off and punched Leo in the face with all my strength. The blow caught him off guard and he fell backwards, landing hard on his ass.

"Lesson number two," I said, trying to keep my emotions together. "Never underestimate your opponent…" I walked toward the stairs. "_Bitch_,"

The guys stood their, mouths open as tears slid down my face. Leo still sat on the ground, holding his bloody nose.

"How dare you. How dare ALL of you! You scare me into thinking that you guys were messed up in the heads, then try to kill me, AND then give me a heart attack that YOU GUYS were hurt!" I was sobbing now, so uncontrollably that I had to hold onto the stair post for support. "And YOU!" I pointed at Leo. "YOU then have the nerve to criticize me saying YOU EXPECTED BETTER! You SCARED me guys! I thought I lost you to some sort of…I DON'T EVEN KNOW! If you wanted to TEST me, you should have TOLD me first! I was SO FUCKIN SCARED! I LOVE you guys, and this is how you repay me? I don't need this!"

I stormed up the stairs, stopping at the top. "Thank you for everything, but I'm sorry. I'm getting dressed…"

"And then I'm leaving."

**OMG OMG OMG! THAT WAS EPIC! If anyone was confused about what happened, the guys decided to test Adriane to see if her training paid off by pretending to attack her so she could defend herself. She got scared that there was something wrong with them, and decided she'd rather die than hurt them, so she gave up and shut down. Adriane is VERY sensitive about pretending ***YOU WILL FIND OUT WHY SOON!*** so she decides she has had enough and leaves. PLEASE REVIEW AND I WILL START ON THE NEXT CHAPTER! **


	15. Chapter 15 Fresh Start

**OK, hopefully I'm being better about updating. BTW if you're an Avatar (the one with the blue aliens, not the one with the arrow-forehead kid) fan, check out my new fanfic "Return to Pandora." ITS GONNA BE EPIC! And now…CHAPTER 15! **

**Chapter 15**

I sprinted into my room and slammed the door behind me, sitting down on the edge of my bed. I covered my mouth with my hands in effort to contain my sobs, but there was no helping it. My tears flooded from my eyes and I was shaking like I had just been swimming in ice water. How could the guys do this? I'd never thought something like this would've come out of them. I care for them so much and they'd dare acting this way? Didn't they care about why I'm so sensitive? Why didn't they respect the fact that it took time for me to trust—

I stopped myself and stood up. _No, they __**didn't**__ know. I hadn't told them. How could they know if I hadn't told them? _I stared at the door. _Maybe this was all a big mistake. What if I was overreacting because of what had happened all those years ago?_ I ran for the door, ready to fling it open and tell the guys the reason I was acting this way, but again I froze.

_You can't tell them! You can't! You swore you would never tell anyone what happened, no matter what the circumstances! _I turned and put my back against the door. Downstairs, I could hear them arguing. Raph, Donnie and Mike against Leo.

"God, Leo! How could we do this to her?"

"Dis' was all YOUR idea! Why the HELL did I listen to ya?"

"I don't know, Raph! Why DID you listen to me? Stupid me, just following orders!"

"Wait, dude, so Master Splinter put you up to this?"

"Well…no…but—but he said we had to find some way of testing her! How else would we know if she was ready to go back out into New York?"

"So THAT'S what ya came up with? Scare the freaking SHIT outta her and make her leave? Da only reason I went along with it was because ya said it'd be HELPIN' Adriane!"

The rest proceeded in a jumbled mess of screaming and yelling too hard to understand. I slipped into a pair of jeans and a white t shirt before slipping on my leather Bomber jacket and packing up my duffel bag. I turned to the door and took one last glance at the room before flinging it open and striding out. As I got down to the first floor, the arguing stopped when the guys saw me. Don gave Leo a shove toward me and gestured at me flowed by a nervous clearing of his throat.

Leo approached my slowly, biting his lip grimly as he stared down at the floor. "Adriane, I just want to say that I'm sorry. We're all sorry to have done this to you. You were right, if I wanted to test you, I should have told you first." He stared into my eyes and I could almost FEEL his sincerity. "I should be damned in hell. I don't know what came over me when I thought about tricking you into fighting. It was wrong and stupid and I—"

"Leo,"

Leo's eyes widened when I cut him off and I could tell his heart was pounding. He knew what was coming and I hated him for it.

"You're a bitch, and you need to work on your social skills. Donnie, you're an awkward lab rat that needs to get out more. Mikey, you need a life other than video games and need to work on thinking before doing and following retarded orders." I gave Leo a sideways glance. "And Raph," I took a breath and my heart swelled when I saw the way he was staring at me. "You're a TOO sensitive guy with a temper capacity the size of a teaspoon and you really need to work on what comes out of your mouth." I looked at all of them. "You guys are right in all the wrong ways and you really need a teacher; someone who can help you out with this stuff and fix you…_literally_." I sighed and closed my eyes. "And that teacher's me."

The guys gasped, pulling little grins and trying desperately to hide it. They knew what I was trying to say.

"So, even though we've been jerks…you're gonna…stay?" Leo asked.

I stared at him hard and pursed my lips in resentment. I threw down my duffle bag and gave it a good kick across the room. "Yeah…I am."

"FUCK YEAH!" Mikey burst out and ran forward, giving me a bear hug. "Mrs. Teacher-Lady I promise I'll be the bestest student ever and I'll do whatever you say!" And with that he gave me a much exaggerated peck on the cheek, even with the sound effects. "MMM-WHA!"

"Okay, okay, okay! Mikey! Mrs. Teacher-Lady says LET GO!" Mike quickly dropped me out of his embrace. I straightened out my jacket. "Okay, but first, I wanna tell you guys why I acted in such a stupid and dramatic way. I walked over to the couch and sat down, motioning for them to join me.

"Yeah, I have some origins and secrets of my own."


	16. Chapter 16 Secrets Revealed

**Chapter 16**

I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them tightly as the guys sat down around me. I hadn't told anyone (except the police) my dark and secret story. Raph sat at my right, Leo at my left, Mike on the floor in front of me and Don on the reclining chair to the left of the sofa. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, reliving that terrible night.

"Here's why I'm guarded…"

***Flashback Begins***

The lights went wild.

The music blared in my ears.

The floor vibrated from the stomping feet of dancers who pounded upon it.

I sat quietly on a leather sofa, watching as complete strangers danced to heavy rapping and fat beats. Girls in skimpy outfits brushed their backs against sweaty guys as they ran their hands through their hair. I grasped the red plastic cup tightly, fingering the rim and glancing down into the tequila that sat in it. Disgusted, I set the cup down on the coffee table before me, trying to remember who had given me the drink in the first place. I looked quickly to my right to see my best friend, Shannon, in the arms of a greasy haired guy, her tongue shoved down his throat. I knew for a fact she had only met him tonight.

I glanced away and pulled at my dress as it rode up even farther up my legs. Why had I let Shannon talk me into wearing the skimpy thing in the first place? I sighed and propped my head in my hands as I leaned forward, elbows on my knees.

"I can see you're enjoying yourself!" someone shouted to me over the blaring music.

I looked over to see a shaggy haired guy sitting down next to me, a glass of water in his hand. He had messy brown hair and stubble on his chin, but he was very handsome, tall, and lean. He wore black leather pants and a matching jacket loosely hanging over a gray t-shirt that said "Life of the party."

He smiled warmly at me and leaned close to shout in my ear, "I'm Chris."

"Adriane," I yelled back with a bit of a smirk. Chris seemed like a nice guy.

Chris offered me the glass of water in his hands. "You don't like drinking do you?" I hesitating before finally smiling, shaking my head and taking the glass from him.

"Thanks,"

"No problem. So, Adriane, what's a pretty girl like you doing on this couch and not on the dance floor?" Chris asked. I bit my lip.

"I'm not very good at dancing."

"Are you good at driving?" I gave him a puzzled look.

"Huh?"

Chris laughed. He pulled a set of car keys from his pocket and jingled them in front of my face. "Do you like Camaros?"

I smiled. I'd ALWAYS wanted a Camaro. It was my dream car.

Chris stood and extended his hand to me. "Wanna go for a drive?" I glanced over at Shannon nervously. "Come on, it'll be fun."

I took a breath and took Chris' hand. Shannon was busy and I'd be back before the party was over. No big deal.

Chris led me outside to where a gorgeous Chevy Camaro sat; a yellow one with black racing stripes, like the one from the Transformers movie. He tossed me the keys and hopped into the passenger seat. Before I knew it I was in the driver's seat and we were speeding down the road, the hum of the Camaro's engine making my heart flutter. We drove around Central Park for an hour or so, chatting and laughing before pulling over at the dead end of a bunch of residential side streets we'd taken. I turned to Chris, grinning.

"That was so fun!"

Chris laughed and leaned toward me, elbow on the compartment between the driver and passengers' seats. "It was, wasn't it?" A minute passed and our smiles and laughs faded, and we were simply staring into each others' eyes.

"Adriane…"

"Chris…"

And with that we came together, our lips touching. Several minutes passed and within seconds we ended up in the back seat, kissing passionately. I laid back against the seat with Chris holding me tenderly as we kissed.

I went to sit back up, but suddenly realized I couldn't move my arms. I pulled away from Chris as his weight pressed down on me. "Ow, hey you're hurting me."

He didn't move. My heart began to beat rapidly.

"Chris, get off. Chris. Chris! Hey get off! GET OFF! GET OFF OF ME!" I squirmed around, trying to get out of his grasp, but he'd pinned me down. I realized what was happening—or what was _going _to happen. I kicked and screamed and punched but Chris held me tightly, waiting for me to wear myself out.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Suddenly, my head began to throb violently and my vision blurred. I felt weightless and airy and could no longer control my thrashing limbs. I then realized that the drink Chris had given me hadn't been water; at least, not _entirely_. He'd put something in it, and I realized he'd planned this. He'd been at that party looking for some stupid, airhead of a girl to fall into his trap, lured by good looks, sweet talking and a nice car. I let out a last effort to call for help.

"HELP PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Chris slapped one of his hands over my mouth and with the other reached down to his pants, fumbling with the zipper. "Been waitin' for this all night," he said as darkness slowly took over and he began that horrible, forbidden dance.

***Flashback Ends***

I sat, frozen in place, shoulders shaking as tears escaped onto my lap. I clasped my hands over my mouth, trying to contain myself. I could feel the guys' eyes burning into my head, but I kept my eyes trained on the carpet before me. Leo put his hand on my back, rubbing me gently and affectionately.

"Adriane…"

I sniffed and tried to continue.

"The next morning, I wake up on a street corner, covered in…well…you can guess…and blood. The bastard beat me after he was done raping me and then left me on the street and drove off."

"But the police caught him, right?" Mike asked. I looked at him sad and shook my head.

"I didn't go to the police. I got up and walked home."

Silence.

"WHAT?" Raph yelled so loud that I jumped. "WHY WOULD YA DO DAT?"

"Raph!" Leo scolded. You could hear the impatience and frustration in his voice.

"Adriane, if I were there…if I were there, I woulda KILLED dat guy!" Raph yelled.

"Raph, you have to understand how scared I was. I didn't want…I just..." and before I knew it, I was crying again, HARD. Raph sat there, eyes wide, realizing he'd been the reason for my sudden burst of tears. And before I had time to look up, he put his arms around me, pulling me close.

"I'm…I'm so sorry for what happened to ya." He whispered. My heart throbbed as I leaned against him, crying.

"So, that's my secret. That's my story. I've never told anyone. So, now you know. Know you know why it took 3 months for me to warm up to you guys." I cried.

"Wait, that's why? I thought you only warmed up to us now because, well, I thought you were shy." Donny stated. I looked up, wiped my eyes and shook my head.

"No, the real reason is 'cuz, well, you guys aren't human."

All was quiet for a moment. No one spoke, no one moved. I sat in Raph's arms, silent. Finally, Raph broke the silence.

"Adriane, I just want ya to know, we'll always be here for ya. No matter what, ya can come to us 'bout anything." He rested his chin on top of my head and sighed. "_I'll _always be here for ya."

Leo got up and left the room.

*****HATE IT? LOVE IT? HATE ME FOR NOT UPDATING SOON ENOUGH? I DON'T BLAME YA, BUT LEAVE A REVIEW ANYWAY MY LITTLE PRETTIES!*****


	17. Chapter 17 Awkwardness

**HEEEY everyone IM SOOO SORRY ITS TAKEN THIS LONG FOR AN UPDATE! I'm gonna try to update more often now! I PROMISE!**

**Chapter 17**

**Adriane's POV**

I punched furiously. Jumping back, I unleashed a sharp kick with my right leg, slamming into the punching bag. Sweat poured down my forehead. I kept my concentration, focusing on the bag in front of me. I cleared my mind, forcing out thoughts that could distract me from the fight. As I delivered a hard punch into the bag, the world around me blurred away, the corners of my vision frozen, forcing my focus onto the bag. Everything went in slow motion. I could hear the rattling of the bags chains, the woosh of the air around it from each of my blows.

I'd found the serenity of battle. I'd made the simplest thing into my own world, where I could plan my moves ahead in the slow moving time. I'd finally become a master of fighting mind tricks.

"Adriane,"

I snapped out of my trance, quickly turning to see Raph standing in the doorway of the dojo mid-punch. My split second loss of focus caused me to loose my fighting stance and I hit the bag with the wrong part of my fist. The sound of my knuckle cracking almost made my heart stop and I cried out in pain.

"Dammit!" I yelled. I stepped back from the bag, holding my fist tenderly. Raph was at my side in an instant.

"Ya ok?"

"Yeah, I must've not taped em up enough." I lied. Raph gave me a quick glance before looking back down at my hand. He could tell I'd used the perfect amount of tape.

"Lemme see," He said, taking my hand gently into his hand. "Does this hurt?" He pressed down on my knuckle.

"Ow!" I almost yelled. He gave me a look.

"Uh-huh, not enough tape." He muttered. I made a face.

"Obviously," I replied. He pulled my hand a little closer—pulling _me_ a little closer—gently peeling off the tape. Both of us glared at my bruising knuckle.

"I'm no doctor—that's Donnie's department—but you mighta sprained it."

We looked up at each other at the same moment and we realized how close our faces were. Raph took a breath before stepping back, letting go of my hand, and clearing his throat. "Ya should have Donnie check that out."

I glanced around the room, trying not to make eye contact. "Right," I said awkwardly. I slowly stepped backwards toward the door. "I'll go do that now."

Raph bit his lip. "Yeah," He fumbled with the roll of hand tape, keeping his gaze on the door.

I gave a nod. "Ok," Before quickly leaving, heading to the lab. As I walked away, I heard Raph's rough voice mutter, "Damn."

"Yep, just a sprain. A little one at that, so nothing to freak about. For now I'd keep it your third and fourth fingers taped together and have your hand and wrist wrapped." Don explained as he got a roll of medical tap and a cloth wrap out of a filing cabinet. He made his way over to me—who he'd made sit up on the counter—before going to work wrapping my hand up.

"Thanks Donnie." I said tucking a loose strand of hair from my ponytail behind my ear.

He looked up at me and smiled sweetly. "No problem." I smiled back at him, the two of us smiling at each other for a moment, before he gave a slight nod and got back to work.

"You're lucky Raph caught this," He glanced up at me, an eye ridge raised in a questionable look. "What was he doing in the dojo? He doesn't train until later." Don chuckled a little. "In fact, he doesn't wake up until about three."

My face reddened. "Well I don't know. I was just working out and he just showed up out of nowhere." Don walked across the room, retrieving a metal fastener from a cabinet.

"Well it's not difficult to see why."

I cocked my head. "What do you mean?"

"Well its only human—erm, human_oid_—nature. He's drawn to you. And it's only natural, with a beautiful girl such as yourself here." He stopped himself for a moment, realizing what he'd just said. "I mean, it's fact. You are very beautiful, Adriane."

I smiled. "Thanks, Donnie."

He glanced down and leaned against the counter beside me before letting out a groan. "I'm beginning to think the only here that doesn't have a romance complex is Mikey—and of course, Master Splinter."

I blushed, looking down at my lap. "You mean…you and Raph and Leo…"

Don sighed. "_Oh yeah_. I mean—I can't believe I'm saying this—I really like you Adriane. I mean what's not to like? But Leo and Raph are a different story. Makes me realize what my chances really are."

I bit my lip before sliding off the counter and standing in front of Donnie, putting my hand on his arm. "Hey, just for the record, you guys all have equal chances." I leaned close and smiled before whispering, "I'm still deciding who my favorite is." And with that I kissed Don's cheek lightly before leaving the lab.

*****Well that put a twist on things! Sorry it was short but I pack a lot of punch in my short chapters! Look for an update soon! Don't forget to leave a review!*****


	18. Chapter 18 A Rose By Any Other Name

**HEEEEEEY Y'ALL! I'm back, yes it's wonderful isn't it? I know you all have missed me soooo much **** I recently came up with some great ideas for the next chunk of the stories and KNEW that I HAD to update, so here ya go! Enjoy! Lots of Luv, BD 3**

**PS Look out for a new chapter in I Never Knew I Needed You, co-written with the lovely IceCreamPopStar. Luv ya girly! Okaaay now on with this thing **

**Chapter 18**

Never once had I thought that I'd fit in so well with other people, let alone giant turtles and a rat. I'd been living with the guys for only 4 months and despite my past experiences, I'd warmed up to them completely and treated them like family. They WERE my family. And besides the awkward love/I'm totally crushing on you SQUARE I was tangled up in with Leo, Raph, and Donnie, things were pretty much normal. Sometimes things got awkward, but I'd gotten used to it.

I'd gotten pretty close with each of the guys, especially my three love square-ees. My relationship with Mikey, the only brother that DIDN'T have a crush on me only because he was still too immature, was nice and calm. We played video games most of the time and told stupid jokes to make each other laugh. I was glad he was ONLY like my cute little brother; the other three were too much of a handful. Don and I spent quite a bit of time in the lab together, discussing scientific matters and current events in the news. He was like my "best guy friend who likes you but is totally friendzoned because he's too much like your twin brother". Then there was Leo, who for the past four months I had been teaching how to cook and having normal conversations about normal things with. Things between us were good and when he wasn't acting like my big overprotective brother, he was subtly hitting on me with sweet compliments and those awkward moments when your hands touch and you pull away embarrassed but he just stands there and smiles warmly at you. Leo was sweet, I couldn't deny that, but he also had the tendency to purposely hug me, say that I'm beautiful, or make me giggle girlishly right as Raph is walking into the room. Damn those ninja senses.

And then there was Raph, who was…the hardest to figure out out of all of them. We didn't spend a lot of time together, not like the other guys, but when we were around each other, things were so…different. It's like the room stood still and the air got warm and fresh and it just felt…right. He was sweet with his words too but was much more subtle than Leo or Donnie. The slightest word he said to me made my heart swell and my face flush. He rarely laughed or smiled but when he did…it was utterly amazing. His gentle but rough chuckle made me so happy and his sly half smile made me want to burst. He could come inches within me and I could feel the warmth from his body, and if we ever touched it was like electricity. Despite the fact that I'd kissed him when he'd done CPR back at my apartment after the Purple Dragon Battle, we were distant but so close at the same time. And sometimes, I swore I could tell that he felt all the same things I did when I laughed or smiled or spoke to him. He was like my protector. Like a best friend, brother, father, and guardian angel all wrapped in one, and I knew he meant something special to me, but I just couldn't figure it out yet.

Life in the sewers became a routine. I woke up when I pleased, cooked breakfast for Splinter and the guys, washed up and got to meditating and training, and then cooked dinner and spent quality time with Master Splinter while the guys did their night rounds patrolling the city. Surprisingly, spending time with the rat was pretty fun. He became my father figure/girly best friend, due to the somewhat disturbing fact that he loved watching Gossip Girl and those overdramatic Lifetime movies. I could talk to him about anything, and I was shocked when just weeks after we'd become movie buddies, he'd talk to me about the guys over a hot cup of freshly brewed tea that I'd made. He talked about Leo and how he worried about his obsession when it came to leadership, battle, and anything he became involved in. He worried about Raph and his detachment from the rest of the family, but he'd said he had a feeling that I would take some part in solving that problem since Raph and I had some kind of special "connection." I could only blush at his words. He also worried about when Donnie would become more social, and of course when Mikey would mature, but the only topic that he seemed to put first was how proud of each of them he was, and how much he loved them. The first night we'd spoke, he brought tears to my eyes and the two of us hugged just as the guys came back from patrol. The rest of that evening had been fairly quiet.

Today had gone according to the usual routine. I woke up around 10am enjoyed a bowl of cereal with Mikey, Donnie, and Leo. Splinter sat at the head of the table with a cup of tea, watching contently as Donnie and I argued over updates on the gun control debate in the newspaper, while Leo chimed in every now and then and Mikey yelled out "BORING!" every fifteen seconds. Once we'd all dressed and washed up we sat in the dojo for meditation, where a groggy Raph joined us late and sat down next to me, mentioning that he'd slept on his back funny.

"You should ask 'A for a massage, Raphie boy." Mikey whispered and returned back to meditating, stifling snickers. Leo punched him as Raph and I exchanged a warm glance.

"After warm ups," I joked with a slight smile. Raph's face flushed and he tried his best to concentrate on mediation. Neither of us succeeded in that.

After the day's training ended, everyone prepared to split up and do their own thing for downtime as we stood in the kitchen drinking cold water and resting after the hard work out.

"Any plans for dinner tonight?" Mikey grinned elbowing me. "I was thinking pizza." I laughed and made my way to the fridge and took a peek inside. I hadn't even realized that throughout my time in the Lair the food stock had grown considerably low with all my cooking. The fridge had barely anything in it except a nearly expired gallon of milk, some cans of soda, and leftover pizza.

"Guys we need groceries, badly." I announced and closed the fridge.

"I'll take care of it after patrol tonight, Adriane, no worries." Donnie said reassuringly and pulled a pad of paper and a pen from the drawer, jotting down the usual grocery list.

"Well, maybe…I could get the groceries while you guys are out?" I suggested. "I mean…I haven't gone topside in almost four months, I'm sure I'll be okay." Leo immediately shook his head.

"If one thing's for sure, you can't go alone. I'll go—"

"How bout I go with ya?" Raph said from next to me. He did his adorable little half smile and my heart skipped a beat. I couldn't help but grin.

"Yeah, come with me, Raph." I tried hard not to blush. "See, Leo? No worries, I'll be well protected. I'll be ready to go in a few, I'm gonna go change." And with that I shot up the stairs to shower and get ready. If anything, time with Raph would be good. I wanted to actually get to know him and I hoped we'd at least have some fun.

**Third Person POV**

Raph stared after Adriane in disbelief. He couldn't believe that she'd been so excited that he wanted to accompany her to the grocery store. He'd expected for her to say something like, "Nah that's ok, I'll go with Leo," or "Thanks but I think I should go with Donnie." She'd actually been happy! Raph's stomach twisted and he couldn't help but smirk. He promised himself that he wouldn't let a moment of their time together go to waste.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH, Raphie's got a daaaaaaaate!" Mikey sang and danced around Raph making kissy faces. To everyone's shock, Raph simply ignored the immature younger turtle. He turned to Leo and sneered.

"Betta luck next time, _Fearless Leada." _Leo clenched his teeth in fury as he watched his brother prance off to his room to freshen up.

"It's not a date, Mikey." Leo hissed and gave him a shove as he stalked off to the dojo.

"Nah nah nah nah nah nah, Raphie's got a daaaaate," Mikey continued to sing as he danced around the kitchen. Donnie sighed and leaned against the counter, head propped up and his elbows.

"Friendzoned…" he muttered.

**Adriane's POV**

The cool night air electrified my skin as Raph and I leapt across the rooftops. It'd been far too long since I'd seen the city lights, heard the roar of the streets, or even smelled the New York air. I felt _alive._

I pushed my body to its limits, running and sprinting from building to building, feeling one with the night. It felt like flying. It felt amazing. I couldn't help grinning and laughing out loud as I leapt and tumbled and flipped and spun between the gaps in the brick apartment buildings. I felt some strange kind of harmony between my body and the darkness around me. It was simply indescribable.

From beside me, I could tell Raph was watching my every move. I knew he couldn't help but smirk at my happiness and energy as a result of my long awaited freedom. We stopped at a rooftop just across the street from the grocery store, and I sat down on the ledge to catch my breath.

"It's beautiful out tonight," I whispered, staring up at the night sky. Above me, tiny dots of light speckled the obsidian sky. Raph sat down next me to and joined in admiring the night.

"Ya know, I don't think I've ever noticed those stars." He replied just as softly. He was so close that I could hear his gentle breathing and feel the warmth of his body. "I mean, I'm out here every night with the guys, and I guess I forgot they were there." Still looking up, I smiled.

"People say that each star represents something good in the world," I looked at his, and his amber eyes softly gazed back. "It's kind of a reminder to people that good does still exist amongst all the bad shit." Raph chuckled.

"Don't think I coulda said it better myself." A moment of silence floated between us as we continued to appreciate the sky full of gentle lights before Raph spoke up. "So what kinda good things do ya think might be up there?" he asked.

I blushed. I hadn't expected him to start up a conversation from my comment. I hesitated, thinking of something good to say. "Friendship…family…happiness…"

"…Love…"

I quickly snapped my head away from the sky to look at him. His response had shocked me. I mean, Raph? The roughest and toughest of anyone I'd ever known and his answer was _love?_ Raph simply looked back at me, calmly and almost caringly, his warm amber eyes trying to say something. I smirked.

"…And roses." Raph raised his eyebrow ridges and made a gentle confused snort.

"Roses?" he asked. I nodded.

"Roses are kind of my thing," I lifted up the front of my shirt to expose my hip, where I had gotten a small thorny rose tattooed. "A lot of the things I've been through in my life have almost broken me. I lost my parents, my family, my _innocence _to some creep, almost _everything. _I realized that no matter how many downs that make me fall, there'll always be ups too, and I can't let anything break me. I got this tattoo after…you know. I'd always liked roses just cause they were pretty, but when I got it, the tattoo artist told me something I wasn't expecting. She said that she could see I was a lot like a rose."

"Whatdya mean?"

"Well, she said that like a rose, I was beautiful—"

"Well ya are beautiful."

I blushed. "But she also said that she could tell I always have my guard up, like the thorns on a rose. We ended up talking a lot while she did my tattoo, and before I left, she told me that sometimes, it's okay to put away the thorns and let the beautiful side show." Beneath my rose tattoo, I pulled down the waistband of my jeans a little to show a quote that I'd had tattooed on in a gorgeous cursive calligraphy. "_A rose by another other name would smell as sweet." _I read softly. Raph glanced from the quote back up to my eyes. "It's Shakespeare from _Romeo and Juliet. _It means that no matter how broken I get by the things that happen to me…I'll always be _me."_

Raph pulled a gentle and warm half smile and softly put his hand on top of mine.

"And who ya are…is perfect."


End file.
